calamarichris

"Just for fun" is probably closest, but that's somehow not emphatic enough.
I ride because it gives me a happgasm. I coined that word about a decade ago when I was dating my ex-wife. There's nothing sexual about it, it's just the itchy, giggly sensation you get in your chest when you are in a state of extreme happiness.
The only time riding doesn't give me colossal pleasure is when I'm utterly exhausted, or my butt's too sore from sitting on the seat for too many hours. Because those are frustrating reminders that my spirit is willing, but my $#*t is weak.
I'm at my happiest at 170+bpm with my pulse thundering in my temples and the wind shrieking in my ears. I don't care for racing, and sometimes I don't even care about the scenery--those things just distract me from the sensations and results of my effort. And my effort is probably the only thing that is truly mine. My possessions will eventually break or be sold after my funeral, and my body won't last forever, but my effort will always be mine.
I own & watch all the Tour (every year since '86), Giro & Classics dvds, but I don't give a rat's tail who wins, who's doping, or who's riding for which team; I watch the DVDs over & over again for the same reason a pilot can never look away from an aircraft in the act of landing.

I recently learned that I did so many things more for the sake of how they sounded in cocktail party conversation than for how much pleasure I actually got out of them: paddling my kayak to Catalina Island, riding centuries, motorcycling across the country & back, running marathons. I stopped doing those things as soon as I realized this, but I eventually gravitated back to riding long & hard. And since we are creatures who cannot resist quantifying, measuring & comparing everything (even our own efforts), I now concentrate on sub-five-hour centuries. I learn a little something new every century, and I have a mini-breakthrough at almost every ride.
It's been years since I've crashed badly enough to lose any skin, but I still have nightmares about sliding on my bare hip sometimes when I fall asleep on my side. It's been years since I've had a girlfriend, and I wouldn't mind having one again, but only if she felt the same way about riding. Abnormal perhaps, but normal is for the happygasm-impaired, IMO.

LJ325

If I don't get in at least 100 miles per week, I feel like a slug. And hey, today is only Tuesday and I've already met that goal. Maybe I'll hit 200.

I love riding my bike. Nothing else matters during that few hours I'm out there on the road. I can coast along and enjoy the scenery or I can ride hard and focus on my cadence. Either way, it's a joy.

CNY James

I enjoy it. If it isn't fun, I don't do it. Which brings me to why I STARTED cycling. Running wasn't fun anymore and I wasn't content not being active. I felt sluggish and lazy and my doctor scolded me for being in poor health at a young age. So I voted fun. In reality, its probably tied for fun & fitness.

TurbineBlade

That's what she said.

calamarichris

JanMM

Sam is not amused.

Cyclaholic

LeftinFlint

+1

cehowardGS

In addition to fitness and exercise, another reason that can be considered the main reason I ride a bicycle, is that I DON'T EVER WANNA GROW UP!!

I am 70 years old....

TurbineBlade

Quote:

I DON'T EVER WANNA GROW UP!!

Same here. Evidenced by all the "that's what she said" cracks.

That detention slip is great -- I enjoyed it .

DX-MAN

It's not a sport to me... other than that, all of the above, with the addition of "it's my lifestyle."

Fun... how about going past fun, and into JOY?
Commuting... fierce independence.
Utility... same thing.
Health/fitness... cherry on the sundae.

The only thing in my life more important than riding and the bike is my kids.

xfimpg

For sanity after a day's work.

johnr783

My other is "All Of The Above"

I should also include for financial income. I work as a pedicab driver and a cycling instructor. I like to think since my only source of income is through cycling I can technically be called a "professional cyclist."

Sixty Fiver

All of the above.

Machka 

Yes ... health is definitely a main reason to ride ... in addition to all the ones I listed in Post #6.

I have two damaged valves in my heart and Drs have told me that my heart is doing as well as it is because I exercise. I developed DVT lasat year, and I've been told by my specialist that I need to keep riding as much as possible to help reduce the chances of developing more blood clots. So it is very important to my health to get on that bicycle and keep riding.

xfimpg

What if a homeless person uses their bicycle to panhandle; doesn't that also make them a "professional cyclist"?

black_box 

my friend has diabetes and I'm trying to get her to exercise more, do you guys have any pointers or maybe book suggestions for info?

I ride for fun, the fitness is a bonus.

no motor?

Type II diabetes responds well to exercise, here's a link for her.
https://articles.mercola.com/sites/ar...-part-two.aspx

black_box 

thanks, she is type II.

Steely Dan

as other have said, reason numero uno is "fun".

i don't own an automobile (by choice) so my bikes are my main mode of transportation - commuting, running errands, visiting family/friends, exploring, etc.; they carry me all over chicagoland. cycling is more than just mere fun; it's a spiritual experience for me. i find the magical synergy between man and machine represented by the bicycle to be transcendent. my body feels astoundingly fantastic after a good ride, but the awesome part is that my mind feels even better.

i get a similar zen-like feeling from kayaking as well.

johnr783

I finished a summer-long solo tour recently. All along I realized, my home was wherever my bike lead me. A cheesy way of saying it is, "Home is where my bike is." With that said, if he has a bike, is he truly homeless?

tubapro

I started cycling riding everywhere back before i was old enough to drive. I was known by everyone as "the guy that rode his bicycle everywhere". I have no idea why I'm into cycling, but I do love it for some reason. Maybe I'm just obsessive?

Jay D

To get to point A to point B.

Big_e

For exercise. Sometimes I wear shorts at work and the wimmins I run into make it a point to look at my legs.
Ernest

BarracksSi

"Other": Because I can.

Pretty simple reason.